A few days ago my very first oracle card deck was published! This project has been a long time coming. I have always wanted to create my very own deck of cards and it has been an ambition of mine since I was first published back in the mid-1990's. As a Mind, Body, Spirit author, it always felt like a logical step for me to take. However, although lots of my fellow authors were lucky enough to publish card decks, the opportunity never came to me and I had pretty much given up on the idea and let it go.
They say that if you want something badly, you should let it go and it will come to you when you least expect it and that is exactly what happened. I released the idea of a card deck and considered it to be no more than a pipe-dream, not a realistic ambition. Fast forward five years later, with the Masters degree now under my belt, and out of the blue my new editor wanted to know how I felt about possibly creating a card deck?! I felt ecstatic!
After some toing and froing, several emails later we came up with a concept that we were all happy with. I say all, because these decisions have to be signed off by the money-men in suits, who weigh up the financial risks and benefits of every commission, so it wasn't just up to me and my editor. I hoped I'd done enough with the synopsis proposal, but I didn't dare to get my hopes up until the contract was actually signed and sealed and the commission was official.
Then I set to work writing and I have to say that it was the most fun project to work on! I love it when I get the chance to write in a way that is new to me, to cover something fresh and bold, or in a completely different way. Although I have obviously written about the moon hundreds of times over the years, creating an oracle deck that reflected her beauty, magic, mystery and power was one of the great privileges of my writing career so far. It was definitely right up there with composing and recording my pagan album MoonChants, which was another dream come true.
I loved every minute of the writing process. Each day, I would light scented candles, play my ambient Fireside DVD and curl up with my laptop, inventing new cards, card spreads and interpretations for each of the fifty cards. I felt like I was writing much more intuitively and could allow my creativity free rein, because this deck did not even exist - I was inventing it as I wrote. Of course, this is true for any creative writing project, but the process of writing a deck of cards brought that fact home to me in a way that writing a book never really has. Writing books, features and columns is just what I do. I've done it for years. I don't take that for granted, but it is just a part of who I am. This felt like doing something more, something with even greater magic attached.
I wanted to create a deck that was unlike the other Moon decks that are on the market, which are very astrology based in concept and design. I wanted to create something that was totally unique to me as a writer, so obviously I drew on my own experiences. Some of the most memorable moons I have witnessed are the ones I've seen when in the Scottish Highlands, so I brought them into the deck with cards such as Moon Stag, Unicorn Moon and Taking the Moonlight. The lunar phase is obviously represented, alongside Blue, Black and Super Moons, but so too are more whimsical notions such as Wish Maker, Quick Silver and Star Child. The result is an enchanting deck of cards, featuring such beautiful imagery I literally cried when the proofs came through.
Sometimes I feel like I have to pinch myself, because this is what I do for a living. It doesn't feel like work at all and I know how fortunate I am to be able to say that I love what I do. Just as before when I wrote for Foulsham, the opportunities are coming thick and fast and I could not be happier. My life has gone from contentedness to super-magical in a very short space of time. It certainly proves that you should never give up on your dreams!
I hope that you will like the card deck I have created. It feels very surreal to be writing about it's release out into the wild, but magic often feels surreal when it manifests. It was fantastic start to this year's spooky season and it is lovely to think that people will be casting readings with my cards this Samhain and beyond. That's just amazing!
As soon as I sent the completed project into my publisher I cheekily added the words "This was so much fun!When can we do it again?" to my email. Well, I am thrilled to report that I am already in the very midst of doing it again and while I cannot say any more than that yet, rest assured that there will be another oracle deck coming from me in the future! So if the Moon isn't your vibe, maybe the new deck will be more to your taste. You'll have to wait and see though, as I am sworn to secrecy!
In the meantime, my editor was recently kind enough to send me copies of the American editions of my other new books, which are very pretty - as are the UK versions too, I might add. It is always interesting to see how different markets determine the artistic representations on the book covers. Just look at that foil triquetra! I am in love! You can tell the USA is the home of the Charmed Ones! Personally, I am just glad that my work is still popular and still being commissioned and published, but I do appreciate the amount of work involved behind the scenes, to make my projects a success. I work with a great team.
So it is proving to be the kind of autumn and dark season that I always dreamt of. I have a productive writing business and I feel very valued in my work and by my team. I have my full autonomy back in place, which is much better for my health and the Chronic Fatigue isn't quite as bad, though I do still need to live a low-energy lifestyle. I am enjoying fabulous rides in the woods, watching the forest take on the hues of autumn and galloping through the mud and the trees, which is fabulously hair-raising!
Plus of course, I now have music lessons and new pieces of music to learn and practice each week. I've got into the habit of practicing by candlelight in the evenings, which is so cosy. I love spending time at my piano, especially now that I can hear that I am making progress. Maybe one day I will play the music for my own pagan songs and release another album, who knows? It's just nice to have a life filled with books, writing, music and horses.
I hope that this autumn is all that you dream of too. Remember that it is in the moments when you let go, that the magic happens!
Serene Blessings
Marie x
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